| There are many different ways to purify your | | | | determine what problems your home might be |
| drinking water and to get rid of harmful chemicals | | | | susceptible to. For instance, have there been certain |
| and potentially disease-causing particles. There is no | | | | chemicals discovered in your town's drinking water in |
| one system, device or method, however, for | | | | the past? Or, if you get your water from a well in |
| eliminating all possible hazards. As a result, the best | | | | your yard, you'll want to test a sample from the well |
| thing to do if you want to make sure you and your | | | | for arsenic at least once a year. |
| family are drinking the safest possible water is to | | | | When you get your results, compare them to |
| chemically analyze your water to first determine | | | | government safety standards. For instance, if you're |
| exactly what, if any, materials are present that | | | | testing your well water for arsenic you could go on |
| should not be there. With this information you can | | | | the World Health Organization's website or the EPA's |
| then make an informed decision about what kind of | | | | website to find the level of arsenic in drinking water |
| system will best eliminate that problem. | | | | that the government has deemed acceptable. These |
| There are many kinds of home water analysis kits. | | | | safety levels are measured in what's called "parts per |
| Some look for bacteria, others for nitrates, still | | | | billion." (In the case of arsenic, the safe level is ten |
| others for copper or for lead. You can measure the | | | | parts per billion.) Now that you know the importance |
| pH of your water or its hardness. Do some research | | | | of analyzing your drinking water, why not get some |
| on the Internet or consult experts in your area to | | | | samples tested right now? |